← Strategy guides

神族 vs 人類 · Gateway macro into arbiters

Protoss vs Terran

Dragoons hold, expansions multiply, arbiters and carriers finish

神族 人類

Checklist: do this

  1. One gateway, cybernetics core, dragoon range, then a nexus at the natural by 4:00.
  2. Robotics facility by 5:30 for an observer; mines and cloaked wraiths are its whole reason.
  3. Three, then five gateways on two bases; a citadel for zealot speed around 7:00.
  4. Third nexus around 8:30 when the observer confirms Terran is on two bases.
  5. Forge for ground weapons +1 by 7:00, then armor; two forges on three bases.
  6. Templar archives or arbiter tribunal by 11:00 depending on the map: storms hold, arbiters attack.
  7. Never attack a sieged tank line from the front; hit it from two sides, or where it is moving.
  8. Scout Terran at 4:00 and 7:00: a fast expand, a two-factory push or a starport each change your next two buildings.

Why it works

Terran mech is slow and positional; Protoss beats it by having more bases and more gateways than Terran can siege at once, and by fighting where the tank line is thinnest. Dragoons with range hold the early game, observers see the mines, and once three bases are saturated the gateways outnumber the factories. Arbiters then remove the tanks from the fight, or carriers fly over them.

If you remember one sentenceExpand faster than Terran, keep dragoons and zealots streaming from many gateways, see the mines with an observer, and win late with arbiters or carriers.

The build

  1. Supply8 Time0:55 Pylon Pylon Never blocked at 8.
  2. Supply10 Time1:25 Gateway Gateway One gateway; the first zealot only if scouting demands it.
  3. Supply12 Time1:50 Assimilator Assimilator The core needs gas by 2:30.
  4. Supply14 Time2:25 Cybernetics Core Cybernetics Core Dragoons and their range.
  5. Supply16 Time3:00 Pylon, Dragoon Pylon, Dragoon The first dragoon holds against vultures.
  6. Supply19 Time3:30 Singularity Charge Singularity Charge Dragoon range before the first tank arrives.
  7. Supply22 Time4:00 Nexus at the natural Nexus at the natural Two bases by 5:00; Terran is expanding too.
  8. Supply26 Time4:40 Second Gateway, Pylon Second Gateway, Pylon Production starts to grow.
  9. Supply30 Time5:20 Robotics Facility Robotics Facility An observer for mines and cloak by 7:00.
  10. Supply36 Time6:00 Third Gateway, Observatory Third Gateway, Observatory Three gateways on two bases; the observer follows the army.
  11. Supply44 Time7:00 Forge and Citadel of Adun Forge and Citadel of Adun Ground weapons +1 and zealot speed.
  12. Supply54 Time8:30 Third Nexus, Gateways 4 and 5 Third Nexus, Gateways 4 and 5 Three bases pay for eight gateways later.
  13. Supply70 Time10:30 Templar Archives or Stargate and Arbiter Tribunal Templar Archives or Stargate and Arbiter Tribunal Storm to hold; arbiters to attack.
  14. Supply90 Time12:00 Gateways 6 to 8, second Forge Gateways 6 to 8, second Forge Three bases of gateways; +2/+2.

Research, in this order

  1. Singularity Charge
    Singularity Charge at the Cybernetics Core

    Dragoon range; without it dragoons lose to marines and vultures.

  2. Ground Weapons +1
    Ground Weapons +1 at the Forge

    Zealots and dragoons versus vultures and tanks; upgrades win the mid game.

  3. Leg Enhancements
    Leg Enhancements at the Citadel of Adun

    Speed zealots reach tanks and catch vultures.

  4. Gravitic Boosters
    Gravitic Boosters at the Observatory

    Observer speed; it must keep up with the army.

  5. Ground Armor +1
    Ground Armor +1 at the Forge

    Then armor; alternate them.

  6. Psionic Storm
    Psionic Storm at the Templar Archives

    Storms kill marines and SCVs and force a tank line to move.

  7. Stasis Field
    Stasis Field at the Arbiter Tribunal

    Half the tank line frozen is a fight won.

  8. Recall
    Recall at the Arbiter Tribunal

    The army in the Terran main while the tanks are away.

The army, stage by stage

  1. Opening

    DragoonDragoon

    Two to four dragoons with range hold vultures and the first tank.

  2. Two bases

    DragoonDragoonZealotZealotObserverObserver

    Three dragoons per zealot until speed; the observer sees mines.

  3. Three bases

    ZealotZealotDragoonDragoonHigh TemplarHigh TemplarObserverObserver

    Speed zealots in front, storms on the bio and SCVs, dragoons behind.

  4. Late game

    ZealotZealotDragoonDragoonArbiterArbiterCarrierCarrier

    Arbiters stasis the line; carriers if Terran is short of goliaths.

If you scout…

A command center before a factory

A command center before a factory

When 3:00 by the probe scout

Do Nexus at 3:30, third gateway sooner, a dragoon pressure with the first four.

Why Greedy Terran has one tank; punish with dragoons or match the greed.

Two factories and no expansion

Two factories and no expansion

When 4:30 to 5:30

Do Dragoons with range at your natural ramp, a shield battery, cannons if needed; delay the third gateway for units.

Why A two-factory tank-vulture push kills an open natural; range dragoons on high ground hold it.

A starport early

A starport early

When 5:00 to 6:00

Do Observer first from the robotics facility, a cannon at each mineral line, dragoons at home.

Why Cloaked wraiths kill probes; an observer makes them dragoon food.

Barracks and academy (bio)

Barracks and academy (bio)

When 4:00 to 6:00

Do Zealot speed and storms sooner, fewer dragoons, reavers from the robotics facility.

Why Bio beats dragoons and loses to storms, speed zealots and reavers.

A fleet of goliaths and turrets

A fleet of goliaths and turrets

When 9:00 onward

Do No carriers; arbiters with stasis and recall, zealot-dragoon-templar on three bases.

Why Goliaths are the carrier answer; arbiters make them irrelevant.

Counters

They haveYou answer with
VulturesVulturesDragoons with range, observers for mines, speed zealots

Vultures kite zealots; dragoons outrange them and observers reveal the mines.

Siege TanksSiege TanksSpeed zealots in front, storms, stasis, recall

Tanks splash their own line when zealots close; stasis removes half of them.

GoliathsGoliathsZealots and dragoons with upgrades, storms

Goliaths are weak on the ground against upgraded gateway units.

Science VesselsScience VesselsDragoons, corsairs on some maps

Vessels die fast to focused dragoons; EMP must be avoided by spreading templar and arbiters.

WraithsWraithsObservers, dragoons, cannons at mineral lines

Revealed wraiths die to dragoons.

BattlecruisersBattlecruisersDragoons in numbers, stasis, scouts on some maps

Massed dragoons melt battlecruisers; stasis holds them still.

The mistakes that lose this matchup

  • Attacking a sieged line

    The sign A gateway army gone in seconds.

    The fix Hit from two sides, hit it while it moves, or recall behind it.

  • No observer

    The sign Dragoons dead to mines.

    The fix Robotics facility by 5:30, an observer with every army.

  • Too few gateways

    The sign A bank of 1,500 on three bases.

    The fix Five gateways on two bases, eight on three.

  • Late range

    The sign Dragoons losing to vultures.

    The fix Singularity charge the moment the core finishes.

  • Carriers into goliaths

    The sign Carriers dead to a goliath ball.

    The fix Scout the armory and goliath count; arbiters instead.

By level

Newcomer

One gateway, core, dragoon range, expand at 4:00. Then the cycle: probes, a dragoon or zealot from every gateway, pylons ahead, a gateway when the bank passes 400. Robotics for an observer. Do not attack sieged tanks; expand again instead.

Learner

The build within thirty seconds; scout at 4:00 and 7:00 and use the forks; +1 weapons by 7:00; three bases by 8:30; storms or arbiters by 11:00; a fight taken from two sides while the tanks move.

Competitor

Dragoon micro against vultures and mines, zealot-storm engagements that break a moving tank line, arbiter stasis and recall timing, and the decision between arbiters and carriers from the Terran composition at 9:00.